Digital Trends’ 2012 Gaming Awards Nominees

This was a tough one. At one point during the discussions amongst the gaming writers, professionalism was very nearly abandoned in favor of passion. And not a “Mr. Smith in front of Congress pleading his case through a multi-hour filibuster” type of passion, but more like a “your opinion is wrong and I hope you feel bad” passion. It never actually got close to disrespect, but there were some strong opinions.

And that makes sense. This year didn’t have quite the blockbuster punch that 2011 did, but what it lacked in big budget franchise releases it made up for in brilliant games chock full of originality. There were still several big names for gamers to revel in, but this time they were joined by titles like Journey and The Walking Dead, which featured nary a ‘splosion, but offered experiences unlike any other.

After much discussion, we narrowed our list of nominees down to three per category (with the exception of the Game of the Year). Feel free to sound off in the comments below and let us know who you’re rooting for, then check back with us on Friday, December 14 when we announce the winners.